Bob Woodward Recounts Richard Darman, the Source Who Became His Closest Friend
Richard G. Darman, who passed away on January 25, 2008, served as Bob Woodward's link to the Reagan and Bush administrations for more than twenty years, as detailed in an excerpt from Woodward's memoir, "Secrets: A Reporter's Memoir." Their initial encounter occurred in 1973 during Woodward's coverage of the Watergate scandal, where Darman was a senior aide to Attorney General Elliot Richardson. Throughout his career, Darman held several significant positions, including staff secretary during Reagan's first term, deputy to Treasury Secretary James Baker, and director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1989 to 1993. Woodward conducted over fifty-eight interviews with him. Their relationship soured following Woodward's four-part series on Bush's economic policy, published from October 4 to 7, 1992. On December 11, 2007, Woodward visited Darman in intensive care.
Key facts
- Richard G. Darman died on January 25, 2008
- Woodward and Darman first met in 1973 during the Watergate affair
- Darman was staff secretary during Reagan's first term and OMB director from 1989 to 1993
- Woodward conducted at least fifty-eight interviews or phone conversations with Darman
- Darman revealed the F.B.I. had taken Reagan's nuclear-code card after the March 30, 1981 shooting
- Woodward's four-part series on Bush's economic policy ran in The Washington Post from October 4 to 7, 1992
- Clinton defeated Bush with 370 electoral votes to 168
- Darman published "Who's in Control? Polar Politics and the Sensible Center" in 1996
- Woodward visited Darman at Georgetown Hospital on December 11, 2007
Entities
Artists
- Bob Woodward
- Carl Bernstein
- Richard G. Darman
- Elsa Walsh
- Elliot Richardson
- Archibald Cox
- Richard Nixon
- Ronald Reagan
- George H. W. Bush
- Mark Felt
- James Baker
- Alexander Haig
- Edwin Meese
- Bill Casey
- Nancy Reagan
- Ben Bradlee
- Janet Cooke
- Don Graham
- John W. Hinckley, Jr.
- Jodie Foster
- William French Smith
- Charles Ruff
- David Gergen
- Caspar W. Weinberger
- Michael Deaver
- Woodrow Wilson
- Pat Buchanan
- Bill Clinton
- Dean Burch
- Nicholas F. Brady
- Michael J. Boskin
- Maureen Dowd
- Thomas Friedman
- Rowland Evans
- Robert Novak
- James Carville
- Kathleen Darman
- Tali Woodward
- Jonathan Darman
- Willie Darman
Institutions
- The Washington Post
- The New Yorker
- The New York Times
- Wall Street Journal
- Harvard University
- Yale University
- CBS
- Madison Hotel
- White House
- Office of Management and Budget
- Treasury Department
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- National Security Agency
- Secret Service
- Internal Revenue Service
- Republican National Committee
- Georgetown Hospital
- George Washington University Hospital
- Council of Economic Advisers
- State Department
Locations
- Washington, D.C.
- United States
- Annapolis
- Maryland
- Texas
- Dallas
- Saudi Arabia
- Japan
- Soviet Union